CN113226879A

CN113226879A - Working vehicle

Info

Publication number: CN113226879A
Application number: CN202080007305.9A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 鱼津信一
Original assignee: Hitachi Construction Machinery Co Ltd
Current assignee: Hitachi Construction Machinery Co Ltd
Priority date: 2019-03-26
Filing date: 2020-02-04
Publication date: 2021-08-06
Also published as: JP2020157923A; EP3950454A4; US20220089191A1; JP7217655B2; WO2020195189A1; EP3950454A1

Abstract

The present invention provides a work vehicle, including: an overshoot operation sensor that detects an overshoot operation for switching between an automatic driving mode and a manual driving mode; and a selection device that selects any one of a manual driving mode, a manned automatic driving mode, and an unmanned automatic driving mode as a driving mode of the dump truck, wherein when the manned automatic driving mode is selected by the selection device, the controller switches the manned automatic driving mode to the manual driving mode when an over-adjustment operation is detected by the over-adjustment operation sensor, and when the unmanned automatic driving mode is selected by the selection device, the controller continues the unmanned automatic driving mode when the over-adjustment operation is detected by the over-adjustment operation sensor.

Description

Working vehicle

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a work vehicle including at least two driving modes, namely an automatic driving mode in which the work vehicle autonomously travels without depending on a driving operation by a rider and a manual driving mode in which the work vehicle travels by the driving operation by the rider.

Background

Work vehicles represented by dump trucks include autonomous vehicles having at least two driving modes, i.e., an automatic driving mode in which the vehicle autonomously travels without depending on a driving operation by a driver and a manual driving mode in which the vehicle travels by the driving operation by the driver. In the automatic driving mode, a controller (control device) mounted on the working vehicle performs all of an accelerator pedal operation (acceleration control), a brake pedal operation (brake control), and a steering wheel (steering wheel) operation (steering control). However, when the rider performs the automatic driving mode while the rider is in the cab (cab) of the work vehicle, the rider may be required to perform a driving operation (for example, when an abnormality occurs in the work vehicle, when an unexpected situation occurs, or the like). Thus, there is a technique of switching between manual driving and automatic driving.

For example, an automatic driving control device of patent document 1 includes: a detection means for detecting an overshoot operation by the driver (a manual operation by the driver riding in the vehicle) in the automatic driving mode; and a determination unit that determines whether or not a driver posture, which is a posture of the driver captured by the in-vehicle camera, matches a reference driving posture, (i) when the detection unit detects an overshoot operation and the determination unit determines that the captured driver posture matches the reference driving posture, switching from the automatic driving mode to the manual driving mode is permitted, and (ii) when the detection unit detects an overshoot operation and the determination unit determines that the captured driver posture does not match the reference driving posture, switching from the automatic driving mode to the manual driving mode is not permitted (i.e., the automatic driving mode is continued).

Documents of the prior art

Patent document

Patent document 1: japanese patent laid-open publication No. 2017-137034

Disclosure of Invention

Problems to be solved by the invention

The automatic driving control device of patent document 1 sets a switching condition from the automatic driving mode to the manual driving mode on the premise that a person is always present (that is, a vehicle occupant is present) in the automatic driving mode.

However, in some work vehicles such as dump trucks that can travel autonomously, no one is present (i.e., no rider is present on the vehicle) in the automatic driving mode. That is, the automated driving of the work vehicle may be unmanned automated driving in which the vehicle is not occupied and manned automated driving in which the vehicle is occupied. Therefore, it is necessary to prepare in advance not only the control in the case where the overshoot operation is detected in the manned automatic driving disclosed in patent document 1 but also the control in the case where the overshoot operation is detected in the unmanned automatic driving. For example, when the manual driving mode is switched to when the overshooting operation is detected during the manned automatic driving (manned manual driving), if the manual driving mode is switched to when the overshooting operation is detected during the unmanned automatic driving, the manual driving mode is switched to a state where the vehicle control is abandoned without an occupant. Further, the method of determining the presence or absence of a passenger using a camera or the like as in patent document 1 may make an erroneous determination.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a work vehicle capable of executing reliable and appropriate control of its own vehicle at the time of detection of an overshoot operation under each of automated driving conditions of manned automated driving and unmanned automated driving.

Means for solving the problems

The present invention includes various techniques for solving the above-described problems, and one example thereof is a work vehicle including at least two driving modes of an automatic driving mode in which the work vehicle autonomously travels without depending on a driving operation by an occupant and a manual driving mode in which the work vehicle travels by the driving operation by the occupant, the automatic driving modes including a manned automatic driving mode in which the work vehicle autonomously travels in a state in which the occupant is present and an unmanned automatic driving mode in which the work vehicle autonomously travels in a state in which the occupant is absent, the work vehicle including: an overshoot operation sensor that detects an overshoot operation for switching between the automatic driving mode and the manual driving mode; a selection device for selecting one of the manual driving mode, the manned automatic driving mode, and the unmanned automatic driving mode as the driving mode; and a controller that controls the work vehicle based on the driving mode selected by the selection device, wherein when the manned automatic driving mode is selected by the selection device, the controller switches the manned automatic driving mode to the manual driving mode when an overshoot operation is detected by the overshoot operation sensor, and when the unmanned automatic driving mode is selected by the selection device, the controller continues the unmanned automatic driving mode when an overshoot operation is detected by the overshoot operation sensor.

Effects of the invention

According to the present invention, it is possible to reliably and appropriately control the host vehicle when detecting an overshoot operation under each of automated driving conditions of manned automated driving and unmanned automated driving.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a side view of a dump truck as a working vehicle (transport vehicle) according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a configuration diagram of a vehicle control system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 3 is a diagram showing a correspondence between the switching positions of the 2

selection switches

59a and 59b and the driving modes.

Fig. 4 is a diagram summarizing the mode switching operation performed by the mode determination unit 64 when the overshoot operation detection signal is input in embodiment 1.

Fig. 5 is a flowchart of processing executed by the controller 100 according to embodiment 1.

Fig. 6 is a diagram summarizing the mode switching operation performed by the mode determination unit 64 when the overshoot operation detection signal is input in embodiment 2.

Fig. 7 is a flowchart of processing executed by the controller 100 of embodiment 2.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

Fig. 1 is a side view of a dump truck as a working vehicle (transport vehicle) according to an embodiment of the present invention, and fig. 2 is a configuration diagram of a vehicle control system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

In fig. 1, the dump truck 1 includes a vehicle body 2, a hopper 3, a cab 5, left and right

front wheels

6L, 6R, left and right rear wheels 7L, 7R, GPS, an antenna 36a, a wireless device antenna 37a, and a controller (control device) 100.

The control room 40 is a place where the dump truck 1 is operated and managed, and the control room 40 is provided with: a wireless antenna 44 for communicating with the controller 100 of the dump truck 1; a control system 41 for outputting a travel instruction and the like relating to autonomous travel to the dump truck 1; an operation management system 42 for creating an operation plan including travel path data of the dump truck 1 by a regulation operator; and a monitor 43 for confirming the operation condition and the like by a control operator.

The body 2 of the dump truck 1 constitutes a frame structure. A bucket 3 is mounted on the upper side of the vehicle body 2, and the bucket 3 can be raised and lowered by extending and contracting a lift cylinder 4 with the rear side of the vehicle body 2 as a fulcrum.

The cabin 5 is located on the front side of the hopper 3 and is disposed on the front upper side of the vehicle body 2. The cab 5 forms a cab for a rider (also referred to as a driver or an operator) of the dump truck 1 to get on and off. A driver seat on which a rider sits and an engine switch (both not shown) are provided in the cab 5, and a steering wheel (steering wheel) 32, an accelerator pedal 50, a normal brake pedal 51, an emergency brake pedal 52, and other operation devices 53 shown in fig. 2 are provided.

The

front wheels

6L, 6R are rotatably provided on the lower front portion of the vehicle body 2. The front wheels 6L are disposed on the left side of the vehicle body 2, and the front wheels 6R are disposed on the right side of the vehicle body 2. The left and right

front wheels

6L and 6R constitute steered wheels whose steering angle θ is changed by a steering device 12 (see fig. 2). The left and right

front wheels

6L and 6R are steered by the steering device 12 in accordance with the rotation angle of the steering wheel 32 of the dump truck 1.

The rear wheels 7L, 7R are rotatably provided on the rear portion side of the vehicle body 2. The rear wheel 7L is disposed on the left side of the vehicle body 2, and the rear wheel 7R is disposed on the right side of the vehicle body 2. The left and right rear wheels 7L and 7R constitute driving wheels of the dump truck 1, and are rotationally driven by left and right traveling

motors

13L and 13R (see fig. 2). The dump truck 1 is driven to travel by rotationally driving the left and right rear wheels 7L and 7R.

The

traveling motors

13L and 13R are provided on the vehicle body 2. The travel motor 13L is mechanically connected to the left rear wheel 7L and drives the rear wheel 7L. The traveling motor 13R is mechanically connected to the right rear wheel 7R, and drives the rear wheel 7R. These running

motors

13L and 13R are electric motors, and are rotationally driven by electric power supplied from a main generator (not shown) driven by an engine (not shown). The

travel motors

13L and 13R are controlled by a controller 100 (a speed control unit 62a (described later)) and can be independently driven for rotation.

The steering wheel 32 can be steered by the rider. When the steering wheel 32 is rotated leftward and rightward, a column shaft 35 (see fig. 2) coupled to the steering wheel 32 is rotated leftward and rightward in accordance with the rotation of the steering wheel 32 to generate a steering torque. The steering torque input to the column shaft 35 operates a steering valve (not shown). The steering valve performs switching control of supply and discharge of hydraulic oil to and from left and right steering cylinders included in the steering device 12 in accordance with the rotation amount of the steering wheel 32. The steering device 12 includes left and right hydraulic cylinders (steering cylinders) corresponding to the left and right

front wheels

6L, 6R, and hydraulic oil is supplied from a steering valve so that one cylinder contracts when the other cylinder expands. That is, the steering device 12 is driven by hydraulic oil supplied and discharged through the steering valve, and changes the steering angle θ of the

front wheels

6L and 6R in accordance with the rotation of the steering wheel 32.

The steering wheel 32 is provided with a steering wheel angular velocity sensor 34 for detecting an angular velocity of the steering wheel 32. The angular velocity of the steering wheel 32 detected by the steering wheel angular velocity sensor 34 is output to the controller 100.

The steering angle sensor 39 is attached to the steering device 12, and detects a steering angle θ of the left front wheel 6L, for example, and outputs the detected steering angle θ to the controller 100. The steering angle sensor 39 is constituted by, for example, an electromagnetic pickup type rotation angle detector formed of a hall element and a magnet, an optical type rotation angle detector formed of a light emitting body and a light receiving body, or the like.

The steering motor 33 is an electric motor coupled to the column shaft 35 via a speed reducer (not shown), and when the steering motor 33 is rotated, the steering wheel 32 is rotated together with the column shaft 35. The operation of the steering motor 33 is switched according to the driving mode of the dump truck 1, and in the case of the automatic driving mode, a steering torque for rotating the steering wheel 32 (the column shaft 35) is generated to control the steering (the operation of the steering device 12) of the dump truck 1, and in the case of the manual driving mode, an assist torque for assisting the steering torque required for the operation of the steering wheel 32 by the occupant is generated. In the case of the manual driving mode, the torque generated by the steering motor 33 may be set to zero.

The accelerator pedal 50 constitutes an acceleration operation device that operates acceleration of the dump truck 1. The accelerator pedal 50 can be operated by a rider. The accelerator pedal 50 is provided with an accelerator operation sensor (not shown) that detects an operation amount, and the accelerator operation sensor outputs an accelerator command corresponding to the operation amount (depression amount) of the accelerator pedal 50 to the controller 100. The controller 100 accelerates the dump truck 1 by powering the

travel motors

13L and 13R in accordance with the operation amount of the accelerator pedal 50.

The normal brake pedal 51 constitutes a brake operating device that operates the brake of the dump truck 1. The normal brake pedal 51 can be depressed by the rider. The normal brake pedal 51 is provided with a normal brake operation sensor (not shown) that detects an operation amount, and the normal brake operation sensor outputs a brake command corresponding to the operation amount (depression amount) of the normal brake pedal 51 to the controller 100. The controller 100 regenerates the traveling

motors

13L and 13R in accordance with the operation amount of the normal brake pedal 51, thereby decelerating the dump truck 1.

The controller 100 can determine which of the acceleration and deceleration the dump truck 1 is in based on the acceleration command of the accelerator pedal 50 and the brake command of the normal brake pedal 51.

As the emergency brake device 54, a mechanical brake device (mechanical brake) such as a disc brake is mounted on the

front wheels

6L, 6R and the rear wheels 7L, 7R. The emergency brake device 54 controls the braking state and the brake release state by the operation of the emergency brake pedal 52. By operating the emergency brake pedal 52, not only the emergency brake device 54 (mechanical brake) but also a retarder brake such as an electric brake that applies resistance to the rotation of the rear wheels 7L and 7R to brake the same may be operated.

Other operation devices 53 include a shift lever for switching the traveling direction of the vehicle, a safety button for forcibly stopping the engine, and the like.

As an overshoot operation sensor for detecting an overshoot operation for switching between the automatic driving mode and the manual driving mode, the steering wheel angular velocity sensor 34 can be used. Further, an accelerator operation sensor for detecting an operation amount of the accelerator pedal 50, a normal brake operation sensor for detecting an operation amount of the normal brake pedal 51, an emergency brake operation sensor for detecting an operation amount of the emergency brake pedal 52, a sensor for detecting an operation amount of the other operation device 53, and the like can be used as the overshoot operation sensor. These sensors are merely examples of the overshoot operation sensor, and can be used as the overshoot operation sensor if they can detect manual operations of various operation devices by the occupant. In order to avoid occurrence of unnecessary erroneous determination, it is preferable that the overshoot operation sensor performs the limiting and filtering processes by setting a control threshold value.

As a selection device for selecting any one of a plurality of driving modes including a manual driving mode, a manned automatic driving mode, and an unmanned automatic driving mode, a 1 st selection switch 59a and a 2 nd selection switch 52b are connected to the controller 100. The 1 st selection switch 59a is a switch (manual/automatic switching switch) for selecting one of a manual driving mode (also referred to as manned driving mode) in which the vehicle travels by a driving operation of the occupant and an automatic driving mode in which the vehicle autonomously travels without depending on the driving operation of the occupant. The 2 nd selection switch 59b is a switch (an automated manned/unmanned changeover switch) for selecting any one of an automated manned mode for autonomous travel in a state where the dump truck 1 has an occupant and an automated unmanned mode for autonomous travel in a state where the dump truck 1 has no occupant. In the present embodiment, the manned automated driving mode and the unmanned automated driving mode may be collectively referred to as an automated driving mode. The controller 100 performs travel control of the dump truck 1 based on the driving mode selected by the 1 st selection switch 59a and the 2 nd selection switch 52 b. In the present embodiment, a case where the means for selecting the driving mode of the dump truck 1 is a switch (the 1 st selection switch 59a and the 2 nd selection switch 59b) is described, but a configuration may be adopted in which, for example, a signal (mode selection command) output from the control system 41 is received by using a wireless device, and the driving mode specified by the signal is selected. The plurality of driving modes that can be selected by the driving mode selection switch 59 include at least 2 driving modes of an automatic driving mode in which the vehicle autonomously travels without depending on a driving operation by the rider and a manual driving mode in which the vehicle travels by the driving operation by the rider.

The wireless device antenna 37a is connected to the wireless device 37, the wireless device 37 is a device for the controller 100 to communicate with an external terminal (for example, a regulation system 41 and an operation management system 42 as a computer in the regulation room 40), and the wireless device 37 transmits data output from the controller 100 from the wireless device antenna 37a and inputs data (for example, travel route data described later) received by the wireless device antenna 37a to the controller 100.

The GPS antenna (satellite positioning antenna) 36a receives satellite signals from a plurality of positioning satellites received by the GPS antenna 36a, is connected to the GPS receiver 36 which is a position sensor that calculates the position of the dump truck 1 in the world coordinate system (or the geographic coordinate system), and the GPS receiver 36 outputs the calculated position of the dump truck 1 to the controller 100.

The azimuth sensor 38 is a device for detecting the azimuth of the dump truck 1, and in the present embodiment, a digital azimuth meter is used which detects the geomagnetism using a sensor and determines the azimuth.

(controller 100)

The controller 100 is a controller (microcomputer) including an arithmetic processing device (for example, a processor such as a CPU), a storage device (for example, a semiconductor memory such as a ROM or a RAM), an input/output circuit, and a communication circuit, and is configured to be able to execute predetermined various processes by executing a program stored in the storage device using the arithmetic processing device. The controller 100 in the present embodiment mainly controls the traveling

motors

13L and 13R and the steering motor 33 in order to execute autonomous traveling in selecting the automatic driving mode.

As shown in fig. 2, the controller 100 functions as a travel route storage unit 60, a vehicle position and posture measurement unit 61, a travel control unit 62, an overshoot detection unit 63, a mode determination unit 64, and a failure determination unit 65 by the arithmetic control unit executing programs stored in the storage device. The travel control unit 62 includes a speed control unit 62a and a steering control unit 62 b. Each of the units 60 to 65 may be suitably configured by a plurality of controllers. In embodiment 1, the failure determination unit 65 can be omitted.

The travel route storage unit 60 is a storage area for travel routes secured in the storage device of the controller 100, and stores preset data (travel route data) defining travel routes of the dump truck 1. The travel route data may be defined by a set of coordinate values of a plurality of points arranged at intervals on the travel route of the dump truck 1, for example. The following configuration may be adopted for the travel route: the shape of the travel path is detected using an external recognition device such as a camera or a radar, and the controller 100 calculates in real time in accordance with the shape while the vehicle is traveling (for example, sets a travel path at a position away from either of the left and right end portions of the travel path by a predetermined distance), and stores the travel path in the travel path storage unit 60.

The vehicle position/orientation measurement unit 61 is a part that performs processing for measuring the current position of the dump truck 1 (for example, the center of gravity position, direction (azimuth), yaw rate, and speed of the dump truck 1) based on input data from the GPS receiver 36 and the azimuth sensor 38. For example, the yaw rate can be calculated from the time change of the azimuth sensor 38, and the speed can be calculated from the time change of the positioning result of the GPS receiver 36. Not only the GPS receiver 36 and the azimuth sensor 38, but also a wheel speed sensor for detecting the speed of the

front wheels

6L and 6R, an Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) capable of detecting the angle and acceleration of the 3-axis, and the like may be used alone or in combination to measure the position and direction of the vehicle. Further, a method of obtaining the relative position and direction of the dump truck 1 with respect to the travel route by an external recognition means such as a camera or a radar may be used.

The mode determination unit 64 is a part that performs processing for determining the driving mode selected via the 1 st selection switch 59a and the 2 nd selection switch 59b based on the input signals from the 1 st selection switch 59a and the 2 nd selection switch 59 b.

The process of determining the driving mode by the mode determination unit 64 will be described with reference to fig. 3. The 1 st selector switch 59a and the 2 nd selector switch 59b are switches that are switched to an ON position (1 st position) and an OFF position (2 nd position), respectively, and output a High signal to the controller 100 (the mode determination unit 64) when switched to the ON position, and output a Low signal when switched to the OFF position.

First, when the input signal from the 1 st selection switch 59a is a Low signal, the mode determination unit 64 determines that the manual driving mode is selected regardless of the switching position (content of the input signal) of the 2 nd selection switch 59 b. When the input signal from the 1 st selection switch 59a is a High signal and the input signal from the 2 nd selection switch 59b is a Low signal, the mode determination unit 64 determines that the unmanned automatic driving mode is selected. When the input signal from the 1 st selection switch 59a is a High signal and the input signal from the 2 nd selection switch 59b is a High signal, the mode determination unit 64 determines that the manned autonomous driving mode is selected.

The mode determination unit 64 outputs the determination result to the travel control unit 62 and the overshoot detection unit 63. That is, which of the manual driving mode, the manned automatic driving mode, and the unmanned automatic driving mode is selected is output to the travel control unit 62 and the overshoot detection unit 63.

Since the driving mode of the dump truck 1 is not switched during driving except when the over-adjustment operation occurs, it is preferable that the mode determination unit 64 performs the mode determination before the driving of the dump truck 1 is started, and the driver or the control operator confirms the determination result and then starts the driving.

The overshoot detection unit 63 is a part that executes a process of detecting an overshoot operation based on an input signal from an overshoot operation sensor (for example, the steering wheel angular velocity sensor 34) while the automatic driving mode (the manned automatic driving mode and the unmanned automatic driving mode) is selected by the 1 st selection switch 59a and the 2 nd selection switch 59 b. When detecting an overshoot operation, overshoot detection unit 63 outputs an overshoot operation detection signal to mode determination unit 64.

Fig. 4 is a diagram summarizing the mode switching operation performed by the mode determination unit 64 when the overshoot operation detection signal is input in embodiment 1. As shown in the figure, when the unmanned autonomous driving mode is selected by the 1 st selection switch 59a and the 2 nd selection switch 59b, the mode determination unit 64 does not switch the driving mode when the overshoot operation detection signal is input. That is, the unmanned automatic driving mode is continued. On the other hand, when the manned automatic driving mode is selected by the 1 st selection switch 59a and the 2 nd selection switch 59b, the mode determination unit 64 switches the driving mode from the manned automatic driving mode to the manned manual driving mode when the adjustment operation detection signal is input. That is, switching of the driving mode to the manned driving mode occurs. As a result, when the overshoot operation is detected during the automatic driving, the travel control unit 62 selects different travel controls according to whether the driving mode determined by the selection switches 59a and 59b is the manned automatic driving mode or the unmanned automatic driving mode (details will be described later). In the manual driving mode, the detection of the overshoot operation is not performed, and therefore, in the figure, the mode switching to "none" is described.

The travel control unit 62 is a unit that performs control for causing the dump truck 1 to travel autonomously or manually by a rider, and includes a speed control unit 62a that controls the

travel motors

13L and 13R and a steering control unit 62b that controls the steering motor 33.

The travel control unit 62 switches the travel control of the dump truck 1 in accordance with the driving mode determined by the mode determination unit 64.

In the automatic driving mode (manned automatic driving mode and unmanned automatic driving mode), the speed control unit 62a controls the power running/regeneration of the left and

right travel motors

13L, 13R so that the speed (actual speed) of the dump truck 1 calculated by the vehicle position and posture measurement unit 61 approaches the target speed set on the travel path 21. In the manual driving mode, the speed control unit 62a controls the power running of the left and right traveling

motors

13L and 13R in accordance with the operation amount of the accelerator pedal 50, and controls the regeneration of the left and right traveling

motors

13L and 13R in accordance with the operation amount of the normal brake pedal 51.

In the automatic driving mode (the manned automatic driving mode and the unmanned automatic driving mode), the steering control unit 62b calculates a target steering torque, which is a steering torque of the steering motor 33 required to steer the dump truck 1 along the travel route stored in the travel route storage unit 60, based on the position of the dump truck 1 calculated by the GPS receiver 36 and input to the vehicle position and posture measuring unit 61, the azimuth angle (direction) of the dump truck 1 detected by the azimuth angle sensor 38, and the travel route stored in the travel route storage unit 60, and controls the steering torque of the steering motor 33 based on the target steering torque. Thereby, the dump truck 1 is steered to travel along the travel path. In order to improve the accuracy of the calculation of the target steering torque, at least 1 of the steering wheel angular velocity detected by the steering wheel angular velocity sensor 34, the steering angle θ detected by the steering angle sensor 39, the vehicle speed calculated by the vehicle position and posture measuring unit 61, and the yaw rate calculated by the vehicle position and posture measuring unit 61 may be considered.

In the manual driving mode, the steering control unit 62b controls the steering torque (target steering torque) of the steering motor 33 so that an assist torque of the steering torque necessary for assisting the operation of the driver's steering wheel 32 is appropriately generated in accordance with the operation of the steering wheel 32 by the driver (for example, the detection value of the steering wheel angular velocity sensor 34). The assist torque can be calculated based on, for example, the steering wheel angular velocity detected by the steering wheel angular velocity sensor 34 and the vehicle speed acquired by the vehicle position and orientation measurement unit 61. Instead of the steering wheel angular velocity sensor 34, a torque sensor may be mounted, and the assist torque may be calculated based on the steering torque detected by the torque sensor and the vehicle speed. The operation of the steering motor 33 may be stopped by interrupting the calculation of the target steering torque.

Fig. 5 is a flowchart of an example of processing executed by the controller 100 according to embodiment 1 of the present invention. The controller 100 starts the process of fig. 5 when the dump truck 1 is powered on (at the time of startup). Before the power is turned on, a desired driving mode is set by the 1 st selector switch 59a and the 2 nd selector switch 59b in advance.

First, in S101, the controller 100 (mode determination unit 64) determines whether or not the input signal from the 1 st selection switch 59a is a High signal. When the input signal is a Low signal (that is, when the determination at S101 is no), it is determined that the selected driving mode is the manual driving mode, and the travel control unit 62 starts the travel control based on the manual driving mode. The traveling control in the manual driving mode is described in detail in the foregoing.

On the other hand, when the input signal is the High signal in S101 (that is, when the determination in S101 is yes), it is determined that the selected driving mode is the manned automatic driving mode or the unmanned automatic driving mode, and the travel control unit 62 starts the travel control based on the automatic driving mode, that is, the autonomous travel (automatic drive) (S102). The details of the running control in the automatic driving mode are also described above.

In S103, the controller 100 (the overshoot detection portion 63) determines whether or not the overshoot operation is detected by the overshoot operation sensor (for example, the steering wheel angular velocity sensor 34) during the automatic driving. If the overshoot operation is not detected, the automatic driving control at S102 is continued. On the other hand, in S103, for example, when the output value of the steering wheel angular velocity sensor 34 is different from the target value of the automatic driving and the overshooting operation by the rider is detected, the process proceeds to S104.

In S104, the controller 100 (mode determination unit 64) determines whether or not the input signal from the 2 nd selection switch 59b is a High signal. When the input signal is a Low signal (that is, when the determination at S104 is no), the driving mode selected, that is, the unmanned automatic driving mode, is continued. In this case, it is preferable to set the fact that the regulation system 41 for the regulation room 40 detects an overshoot operation that is not originally possible in unmanned autonomous driving as wireless communication.

On the other hand, the manned autonomous driving mode, which is the driving mode selected in the case where the input signal is the High signal in S104 (that is, in the case where the determination in S104 is yes), is switched to the manual driving mode. Thus, the travel control unit 62 starts the travel control based on the manual driving mode.

By switching the control of the autonomous vehicle depending on the presence or absence of the rider in this manner, an optimal method for ensuring the safety of the dump truck 1 and the rider can be selected.

(Effect)

As described above, when the override operation is detected during the selection of the manned automatic driving mode by the occupant in the dump truck 1 according to the present embodiment, the occupant determines at his or her will that the operation device (for example, the steering wheel 32) is to be operated and switches the manned automatic driving mode to the manual driving mode, so that the control of the vehicle can be reliably requested to the driving by the occupant. On the other hand, when the overshoot operation is detected during the selection of the unmanned automatic driving mode by the occupant, the possibility that the operation device is not operated in the unmanned state and the detection of the overshoot operation is erroneous is high, and therefore the unmanned automatic driving mode is continued without switching to the manual driving mode. That is, since the vehicle control by the controller 100 is prohibited from being abandoned in a state where there is no occupant, the reliability of the system can be improved.

In the present embodiment, the automated driving mode is divided into two modes, i.e., the manned automated driving mode and the unmanned automated driving mode, and one of the 2 automated driving modes is selected by the selection switch 59 b. With this configuration, since the determination of whether the automatic driving mode is occupied or unoccupied can be reliably made based on the input signal from the switch 59b, the determination of the driving mode, in other words, the determination of the presence or absence of the occupant can be reliably made. That is, since the presence or absence of a person can be easily and clearly determined based on the switching position of the switch, the possibility of performing control different from the intention of the control room or the occupant can be reduced.

Therefore, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to reliably and appropriately control the host vehicle when detecting the overshoot operation in each of the automated driving conditions of the manned automated driving and the unmanned automated driving.

(embodiment 2)

Next, embodiment 2 of the present invention will be explained. The hardware configuration of the present embodiment is the same as that of embodiment 1, and therefore, description thereof is omitted.

Fig. 6 is a diagram summarizing the mode switching operation performed by the mode determination unit 64 when the overshoot operation detection signal is input in embodiment 2. As shown in the figure, when the manual adjustment detection signal is input when the unmanned automatic driving mode is selected by the 1 st selection switch 59a and the 2 nd selection switch 59b, the mode determination unit 64 switches the driving mode to a failure mode, which is one of the unmanned automatic driving modes.

On the other hand, when the manned automatic driving mode is selected by the 1 st selection switch 59a and the 2 nd selection switch 59b, the mode determination unit 64 switches the driving mode from the manned automatic driving mode to the manned manual driving mode as in the case of the 1 st embodiment when the adjustment operation detection signal is input.

In the failure mode, the travel control unit 62 continues the steering control using the steering motor 33 by the steering control unit 62b, while the speed control unit 62a transmits a deceleration command to the

travel motors

13L and 13R to stop the dump truck 1. At this time, the dump truck 1 may be guided to the side of the travel path and stopped by using the emergency braking device 54 or an external recognition device such as a camera.

Fig. 7 is a flowchart of an example of processing executed by the controller 100 according to embodiment 2 of the present invention. S101 to S105 are the same as the flowchart of FIG. 5, and therefore, the description thereof is omitted.

In S111, the controller 100 (failure determination unit 65) determines that a failure has occurred, and changes to the failure mode. In S112, the controller 100 (the travel control unit 62) outputs a vehicle body stop control command. Specifically, the controller 100 (the travel control unit 62) continues the steering command to the steering motor 33, transmits the deceleration command to the

travel motors

13L and 13R, and controls one or both of the emergency brake device 54 and the

travel motors

13L and 13R to stop the dump truck 1.

In S113, the controller 100 maintains the stopped state of the vehicle body after determining that the vehicle body is stopped.

As described above, in the present embodiment, when the unmanned automatic driving mode is selected and the overshoot operation is detected, the controller 100 determines that a malfunction has occurred and stops the vehicle. This can prevent the dump truck 1 from continuing autonomous travel when there is a possibility of failure.

(others)

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and includes various modifications within a range not departing from the gist thereof. For example, the present invention is not limited to the technology including all the configurations described in the above embodiments, and includes a technology of deleting a part of the configurations. In addition, a part of the configuration of one embodiment may be added to or replaced with the configuration of another embodiment.

Although the description has been given mainly of the case where the steering wheel angular velocity sensor 34 functions as an overshoot operation sensor, a sensor that detects the operation of another operation device (for example, the accelerator pedal 50, the normal brake pedal 51, the emergency brake pedal 52, or the other operation device 53) that can be operated by the rider may be used as the overshoot operation sensor.

Further, a part or all of the components of the controller 100, the functions of the components, the execution processes, and the like may be realized by hardware (for example, logic for executing the functions is designed in an integrated circuit). The controller 100 may be configured by a program (software) that realizes each function of the controller 100 by being read and executed by an arithmetic processing unit (e.g., a CPU). The information of the program can be stored in, for example, a semiconductor memory (flash memory, SSD, etc.), a magnetic storage device (hard disk drive, etc.), a recording medium (magnetic disk, optical disk, etc.), and the like.

In the above description of the respective embodiments, the control lines and the information lines indicate portions necessary for the description of the embodiments, and do not indicate all the control lines and the information lines of the product. Substantially all of the components may be considered to be actually connected to each other.

Description of the reference numerals

1 … dump truck (working vehicle, transport vehicle), 2 … vehicle body, 3 … bucket, 4 … lift cylinder, 5 … cab, 6L … front wheel, 6R … front wheel, 7L … rear wheel, 7R … rear wheel, 12 … steering device, 13L … driving motor, 13R … driving motor, 21 … driving path, 32 … steering wheel (steering wheel), 33 … steering motor, 34 … steering wheel angular velocity sensor (operation sensor), 35 … column shaft, 36 … GPS receiver, 36a … GPS antenna (satellite positioning antenna), steering portion … wireless device, 37a … wireless device antenna, 38 … azimuth angle sensor, 39 … angular velocity sensor, 50 … accelerator pedal, 51 … brake pedal, 3659 driving mode selection switch, 60 … driving path storage portion, 61 … vehicle position attitude, 62 … driving control portion, 62a … speed control portion, 62b … steering control unit, 63 … overshoot detection unit, 64 … mode determination unit, 65 … failure determination unit, and 100 … controller (control device)

Claims

1. A work vehicle provided with at least two modes of an automatic driving mode in which the work vehicle autonomously travels without depending on a driving operation by an occupant and a manual driving mode in which the work vehicle travels by the driving operation by the occupant as driving modes,

the automatic driving modes include a manned automatic driving mode for autonomously driving with a rider and an unmanned automatic driving mode for autonomously driving without a rider,

the work vehicle includes:

an overshoot operation sensor that detects an overshoot operation for switching between the automatic driving mode and the manual driving mode;

a selection device for selecting one of the manual driving mode, the manned automatic driving mode, and the unmanned automatic driving mode as the driving mode; and

a controller that controls the work vehicle based on the driving mode selected by the selection device,

the controller switches the manned autonomous driving mode to the manual driving mode when an overshoot operation is detected by the overshoot operation sensor in a case where the manned autonomous driving mode is selected using the selection means,

when the unmanned autonomous driving mode is selected using the selection means, the controller continues the unmanned autonomous driving mode when an overshoot operation is detected by the overshoot operation sensor.

2. The work vehicle according to claim 1,

the controller stops the work vehicle when an overshoot operation is detected by the overshoot operation sensor in a case where the unmanned autonomous driving mode is selected using the selection device.

3. The work vehicle according to claim 1,

the selection device is a 1 st selection switch and a 2 nd selection switch, the 1 st selection switch is used for selecting one of the manual driving mode and the automatic driving mode, the 2 nd selection switch is used for selecting one of the manned automatic driving mode and the unmanned automatic driving mode,

the controller switches the manned automatic driving mode to the manual driving mode when an overshoot operation is detected by the overshoot operation sensor in a case where the automatic driving mode is selected by the 1 st selection switch and the manned automatic driving mode is selected by the 2 nd selection switch,

the controller continues the unmanned autonomous driving mode when an overshoot operation is detected by the overshoot operation sensor in a case where the autonomous driving mode is selected by the 1 st selection switch and the unmanned autonomous driving mode is selected by the 2 nd selection switch,

when the manual driving mode is selected by the 1 st selection switch, the work vehicle is controlled based on the manual driving mode regardless of a switching position of the 2 nd selection switch.

4. The work vehicle according to claim 3,

the controller stops the work vehicle when an overshoot operation is detected by the overshoot operation sensor in a case where the automatic driving mode is selected by the 1 st selection switch and the unmanned automatic driving mode is selected by the 2 nd selection switch.